KCS: State of Safety reports important public safety improvements

Kansas City Southern (KCS) has released its monthly State of Safety report, noting a 50 percent reduction in grade crossing collisions through February 2013, as compared to the same timeframe last year.

Officer on a Train events are among the activities in which KCS is engaged to promote grade crossing safety. Events were recently hosted in Centralia, Mo. and Poteau, Okla.

In these events, KCS works with local law enforcement to bring officers into a locomotive cab for a real-time perspective of motorist and pedestrian activity as a train moves through the community. Meanwhile, other law enforcement officers are stationed along the railroad right-of-way, watching for crossing and trespasser violations and issuing citations.

In Centralia, where KCS has four grade crossings, each equipped with lights and gates, no citations were issued. In Poteau, KCS has eight crossings, four with gates, one with flashers and three with crossbucks only. The event focused on only four of the eight crossings with police issuing 14 citations for crossing violations.

The State of Safety report also noted that 36 CALL reports have been recorded year-to-date, as compared to only 12 recorded for the same period last year. Encouraging employees to be the eyes and ears of the railroad, the CALL program provides a mechanism for employees to report trespasser or unsafe motorist behavior on the railroad by calling the Critical Incident Desk.